


Pushing Up Daisies

by yamswrites



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Damn Daniel Back At Again With The Hopelessly Pining Levi, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Fluff, Humor, In The Flesh AU, Levi Is Bad At Feelings, M/M, Makeup, Mutual Pining, Pining Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Post-Zombie Apocalypse, Punk Eren Yeager, SnK Minibang 2016, mild sexual references, some horror elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 00:36:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7955242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamswrites/pseuds/yamswrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A couple years after a zombie apocalypse wipes out a good chunk of the population at a rapid rate, a cure is found. Within a few more years, quite a few of those who once were infected have been rehabilitated and cleared for entry into a new, quickly growing and advanced society.</p><p>Levi's dead. Well, sort of. Technically, he's undead. He's plagued by nightmares of all the horrible things he did in his untreated state. If that wasn't bad enough, his new roommate is ridiculously cute.</p><p>Levi's so screwed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pushing Up Daisies

**Author's Note:**

> A special thanks to [ sciencefictioness](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sciencefictioness/pseuds/sciencefictioness) for beta'ing this and encouraging me with kind words. Go send her some love and nice words. And thank you to everyone who encouraged me when I was like, "the fuck I'll never finish" y'all are the best. c:
> 
> Art Links: [ this beautiful piece](http://constant-catastrophe.tumblr.com/post/150036423813/eren-shrugged-met-levis-gaze-with-his-own) by cat (bless u)

No one is entirely sure when the virus first made its presence known in the world. Theories of all sorts have been made about the virus's origins. The first: it was a product of bioterrorism, forged in secret by scientists who cast their ethics aside to serve the highest bidder and the faceless corporations both secret and not, who added as many zeros to each paycheck as necessary to get the job done.

Others theorized that the virus had already been present but perhaps lain dormant for years, and was somehow was reintroduced and managed to spread about. Or that an ordinary virus had mutated into something so dark, as though it had come straight out of a horror film.

The first reported case had been originally marked down not as a virus but as an overdose of some unknown drug. It later was corrected unto its proper name: Lazarus Viral Syndrome.

Patient zero was said to be the first known case, which popped up in the midst of the United States. Within a tiny little Midwestern town, a woman reported her husband missing. He had left for a hunting trip with a friend that was set to last only a mere two days. The woman waited another two days after her husband was scheduled to return, as he had been late before. But, never had he taken so long to come home. With no word from either him or his friend, it was readily apparent that something bad may have occurred.

A search party was quickly assembled to search for the two men. The sun had just began to set amid the sticky air of a humid summer evening, framed by the tall trees around.

The group had been packing up when they suddenly found themselves short two members.

Before they could dispatch a search party for the remaining two members- the two members found them.

They ran, shrieking, because covered in blood and close on their heels were the two missing hunters. But, they were not quite right. Their eyes were too bright, skin close to gray, even the woman's husband who was of a darker complexion appeared to have a steely undertone to his skin.

They looked like death walking. It wasn't until another member was bitten that the Sheriff decided it was for the best if they were put down- the empty shells of those men did not listen to reason. They were unfeeling and unknowing with their blank eyes and blank minds.

Eventually, the infection spread around the town. Then to the next town, until the entire region was infected. After that, more cases popped up in other states until finally the United States went dark. Mexico had closed their borders off in the early days of the infection, which had saved them from some of the worst of the carnage on that front. However, the virus eventually crept in from South America.

It was relentless, and spread to Europe, Asia, and all corners of the earth where the human population resided. The last country to have sent transmissions- before being in engulfed in what would later be known as the Dark Days- was Argentina.

Their last words?

_They're here._

…...

In the days before they brought him back, in the days that the undead walked the earth- his thoughts are few, jumbled, and not truly his own.

After all, Levi Ackerman wouldn't look at a fellow human being and think: Hunger. Food. Flesh. Prey.

Yet, he no longer was Levi.

No.

The Levi he had once been died the night his mother had risen from the dead and sunk her teeth into the meat of his shoulder. Uncaring, unfeeling. Her pale eyes luminous and void of any recognition that this was her son that she had just attacked. Her blank eyes matched her blank mind.

And within a mere 72 agony filled hours of the deliverance of the infection through her teeth, her son had risen; a ravenous beast that bore the mask of a human. Which led him to here, a little gas station with flickering lights, black fluids stained on the floor, and rotting food haphazardly thrown all over the place. Levi was practically salivating at the sight of the prey before him.

The man would have never been able to defend himself- he lay sprawled across the ground wounded and weakened, unable to move at all.

Easy pickings.

He truly never stood a chance.

A fact that would later haunt Levi in the time between the midnight hour and that in which dawn’s weak light began to bathe the earth in blue.

Once he caught sight of Levi, his jaw went slack. His eyes became round and wide, their appearance like saucers. His matted hair clung to his forehead, his skin white from blood loss. The same blood that manifested around him and he slipped on as he tried to scramble away.

Levi snarled as he lunged towards the man, teeth bared and prepared to sink into the soft flesh because he was hungry, always hungry-

“Levi.”

Levi.

Yes, that was his name. He was not the human Levi from before The Dark Days nor was he the twisted beast during it. He was somewhere in between, caught in a limbo of sorts between life and death. Levi was caught between the old, pale reflections of himself and the memories that haunted him like ghosts behind his eyelids.

“What is your name?”

Levi appeared confused. “Um… don't you know my name? Since you've just said it?” He questioned as he looked the nurse who sat before him.

She adjusted her glasses. “Yes, well, I need you yourself to state your name,” She answered.

“My name,” Levi said slowly, as if it was the first time he had used the string of words.

The nurse nodded. “Yes, dear. Your full name,” She said, her voice gentle. She took on the tone one would used with an emotional child.

He hesitated. Could he really call himself Levi? When nearly all trace of him was gone from inside? It was as if someone had scooped out all the things that had made him, well, human. He died, rose, and changed into something that had the barest resemblance to his old self. But, not entirely. It was a metamorphosis of sorts- akin to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, the ugly duckling becoming a swan.

Except, the ugly duckling didn't devour the other ducks as he lingered between the state of ‘duckling’ to ‘swan’.

Levi cleared his throat, swallowed the lump in his throat. “It's Levi- um, Levi Ackerman.”

“Have you got a middle name, dear?” The nurse asked, she adjusted her glasses before her gaze settled upon Levi.

“I do, yes. It's Kenneth,” Levi answered.

“Levi Kenneth Ackerman?”

Levi nodded with a ‘yes’ leaving his lips to accompany the movement.

“Any significance to the name Kenneth?” She inquired, peered at Levi through her rounded glasses.

“Yes. Kenneth was for my uncle. But, we- my family-”

Family.

Levi could feel the bile rising in his throat, the panic enveloping him in it's prickling arms, the feeling of pins and needles in his brain.

“Levi, dear?”

He looked to the nurse before him, her brown eyes soft and sad. Her thumb hovered over the little red button of the remote like contraption that was held in her right hand. A push of that button meant that a patient had regressed, or as some would say, “gone rabid” and whoever was attending said patient was in peril and required immediate assistance.

Levi eyed the tension in her body. He tried not to feel hurt. Understandably, she'd be afraid of someone who had risen from the dead. A monster. He steadied his breaths before he met her eyes. Then, he glanced to her uniform, caught sight of her name.

He took a deep breath, tried to steady himself even amid the chaos his mind teetered on. “Mrs. Brown.”

“Yes?”

“I… I'm okay. Sorry if I freaked you out.”

Mrs. Brown shook her head. “Nonsense, love. You didn't scare me. I'm just… worried about you.”

A perplexed expression flitted over Levi's features. “Worried?” He asked, the enunciation of the word soft and slow- akin to one attempting a new word of a unknown language.

“Yes, of course!” She insisted and Levi felt a prickle of discomfort, his hands were pins and needles again. He caught the suspicion and caution in her gaze as he flexed his fingers, tried to get rid of the discomfort in them. And he said no more, apart from providing answers to the woman’s questions.

Finally, she stood.

“Well...” Mrs. Brown began, a cheery sort of expression on her face that did not quite meet her eyes. Mrs. Brown with the brown eyes had perhaps the coldest pair of brown eyes Levi had encountered. In his experience, most brown eyes he had seen had a softness and/or warmth to them but not hers.

“...I think you've done brilliantly, Levi. Wonderful job, love,” She said as she strode over to the metal door, gave him a little wave before she opened the door and left him in the room with gray walls with only the security camera as some form of company.

….

His door opened in the slightest, before a man poked his head into Levi’s room. “Levi Ackerman?”

Levi frowned as a feeling of confusion settled over him. He had not expected any visitors today, nonetheless he nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”

The man gave him the fake smile that many of the people here bore and said, “Congratulations, son! You’ve been cleared to leave this facility! Tomorrow, you’ll be headed to a new home with your assigned roommate.”

Levi felt a sense of shock wash over him. Of all the people in the facility, that he was one of ten chosen to be returned into human society. They weren’t the first group of the undead to become rehabilitated and then slowly allowed to be ‘released’ back into society. No, not at all.

But, he wondered why he had been chosen. There were many people who did their best to relearn human behaviors- but, why had he been chosen? He had truly done nothing more than sat quietly in nearly every group therapy session, may have opened his mouth once or twice. Simply put, Levi was baffled.

“Who’s my roommate? Someone here? Do I know them?” Levi asked.

The man shrugged. “Not a clue,” He replied,”You’ll find that out soon enough, however.”

He dropped off Levi’s food tray and with that, he was gone.

And Levi remained, wrapped up in his quilt and nestled in his cot. He stared at the white walls, tinted blue from the light set into the ceiling. He did not sleep well that night, what little rest he got was frequently interrupted by nightmares of a time when he was not himself.

…..

Sometime later, he awoke to a knock on his door and a voice calling, “Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty.”

It took him a moment to crawl out of bed. Ironically, he felt like death.

“Baby steps,” He told himself as he sat up and willed himself to get out of bed.

It was going to be an incredibly long day.

…

In the line, in front of him stood a man with long hair a vibrant shade of turquoise that nearly spilled onto his broad shoulders. He was perhaps a year or two older than Levi; his skin was a gorgeous dark bronze, when he turned, Levi noticed that his eyes were mismatched- the left one a dark gold while the other on the right was a dark teal.

In addition, he was tall with broad shoulders, and leanly muscled; the dark gray sweatpants and sweatshirt issued by the treatment facility were actually rather flattering on his frame.

He glanced back, met Levi’s gaze, and gave him a faint smile. “Hi,” He said. His voice was incredibly pleasant, a little higher than he anticipated but still quite low. He also had a gentle quality to his voice, not that he was soft spoken but as if it were an indicator that he was a kind soul or something of that nature.

It took Levi a moment to realize that he spoke to him. Then, Levi took another moment to function and get his words flowing from his brain and out of his mouth.

Baby steps.

“H-hello,” Levi stammered and then thought to himself, smooth. Yes, he was so incredibly smooth. Good job there, Levi.

However, the man didn’t seem to mind Levi's awkward demeanor. In fact, he continued to speak with him. “I’m Eren.” He held out his hand for Levi to shake, which he took. Levi gave him a firm shake as his Uncle Kenny had taught him when he was little, and had not allowed his hand to linger for any longer than necessary as he quickly withdrew his hand.

“I'm Levi,” He replied as he met Eren's gaze, tried to school his resting bitch face into something that appeared more friendly.

In return, Eren gave a faint smile and was about to say something else by the intake of his breath and the way his pale lips parted, when the PA system came on.

“Hello, residents of the Birchwood Rehabilitation Center! Today, you will receive your roommate, your living locations, a card with the money needed to buy any essentials, prescriptions for varying medications, as well as your newly issued Appearance Maintainer.”

Levi had a bewildered expression upon his face, he looked to Eren. “Appearance Maintainer?” He whispered, his voice quiet.

Eren in turn merely gave a shrug, he appeared just as puzzled as Levi currently felt.

“These kits will allow you to achieve a more human appearance. Foundation, contacts, and all sorts of things are present in the bag you'll be receiving.”

Eren snorted. “I know I've had a rough few months and, you know, I probably look like shit because of that- but they don't have to push the makeup on me. I'd wear it anyways,” He stated in a low voice.

“I'm going to end up looking like a clown,” Levi muttered, his lips then twitched into a slight smile at Eren's laugh.

“I'm sure that's not true.”

“Oh, trust me. I will. I can't do makeup for shit. Never tried except once on my sister for some makeup challenge sort of thing,” Levi explained.

Eren looked to Levi. “Really? How did that work out for you?” He inquired, amusement plain as day in his tone as he spoke, his lips curved into a small smirk.

“Well, I can't contour for shit or do a straight line with eyeliner- so not very well. I'm probably going to end up looking like a reject from Killer Klowns From Space or something,” Levi muttered, a fondness in his voice and eyes as he recalled his attempt to do Isabel’s makeup as well as the horrendous result. She had swatted at him, then poked fun of the fact that he had made her more or less look like a clown.

He would have felt the happy memory sink it's teeth in the wound that the loss of Isabel had created- if not for Eren's sudden and bright peal of laughter.

A loud laugh, and so utterly joyous that it felt so out of place in such a dreary and gray place such as this one. Several people jumped, it was such an innocent thing yet so truly out of place. Some people grumbled at the disturbance, yet others like Levi- felt warmed by it. A peek of warmth by the winter sun in December winds, a splash of color and brightness in their dark lives.

And Levi, for the first time in so long, felt a slight smile on his lips. It had escaped him without notice until he saw Eren's grin and a few shocked faces as they looked to the pair in response.

And so when it came time to pair off the residents of the facility: Levi found himself paired up with none other than Eren.

“So, wanna make a bet?”

Levi arched an eyebrow. “Make a bet on what exactly?” He questioned.

Eren did not even appear phased as he replied,“Five dollars that says we're set to live the city.”

“Do you always gamble with people you've just met?”

“Nah. Just you.”

Levi snorted. “How lucky of me,” He said dryly.

Eren chuckled, not at all deterred, his plump lips curved to the right in the suggestion of a smirk. “Well, what do you say?”

Levi met Eren's eyes. “Five bucks we're relocated to the country.”

And the PA system came on once more to announce the residents would be relocate to District One in the newly formed country of Maria.

Eren looked to Levi, grinned when it was described to be an urban area with sprawling skyscrapers and a busy night life.

“Looks like you lost that bet,” Eren said.

“Too bad you won't get any money from me. I don't have any. I didn't have my credit card or even my wallet on me when I rose, obviously.”

“Well, even if you had- could you imagine the debt you'd be in?”

Levi looked to Eren. “Somehow, I think credit card companies had more pressing matters during The Dark Days,” He intoned.

“I can imagine,” Eren said with a snort.

….

The train ride moved along swiftly, Levi looked outside of the window. He watched the ruins of various little towns, villages, and small cities. Most of the forests showed signs of fire; scorched bark, grass, and ash.

Eren sat beside him, reclined in his seat, and his muscular arms crossed over his chest. He had earbuds in to watch the movie which played on the little screen that was put into the back of the seat before them.

Levi glanced to Eren's screen, then with a bit of hesitancy, he tapped his shoulder lightly.

Eren looked to him, pulled an earbud out. “Hey, what's up?”

“Hey. What are you watching?” Levi questioned.

“Alien. You know, the 1979 version.”

“Oh.” Levi paused, memories swam before him. Of being curled up on the couch with his three friends, he had watched the movie who knows how many times. But, Erwin and Hange had loved that movie so much.

“Wanna watch it? I can set it up on your TV,” Eren suggested.

Levi nodded, opened the pouch like pocket on the seat to fish out the complimentary headphones. Eren tapped the screen a few times until finally the movie came on.

……

Moving in was something Levi wasn't too sure he'd enjoy doing. And as it expected, it wasn't exactly fun but it was amusing to hear Eren singing various songs from The Phantom of the Opera.

Eren loved musicals, Levi found.

And his rendition of The Point of No Return was something to behold. Even though he couldn't the hit all of the notes required of Christine’s part.

Of course, when Levi checked on him, Eren hadn't really gotten too much done. He was more content to dance around, singing as the Phantom. It was Levi's laugh that had alerted Eren of his presence- and he promptly tripped over himself.

“Wow, um, pretend you didn't see that?”

“Sure thing, Gerard Butler.”

Eren frowned. “Of all the Phantoms you pick him?”

“Hey, he's hot. Though, a little too creepy and stalkerish in that movie for my tastes,” Levi replied.

Eren snorted, but shook his head. “No, no- it's just- he's my favorite one.”

“I think the movie is on demand if you want to watch it,” Levi suggested.

“Oh, nice! Want to watch with me?” Eren asked.

Levi paused, unsure of whether that was really a good idea. A part of him missed having friends, felt lonely. Another part thought it was in everyone's best interests that he just stayed as far away from other people as he possibly could.

“I'm… I'm tired, actually. Maybe some other time,” Levi lied, not wanting to be rude but not really feeling up for keeping another person company.

Eren nodded, didn't pursue the matter. “Okay, cool. So, you're going to sleep?”

“Yeah, it's been a long day for me.”

“No problem, I get it. Good night, sleep well,” Eren said, his voice soft.

Levi nodded, then left.

Sleep did not come easy that night.

And when it did, again the ghosts came in the gloom. Levi found himself haunted by their screams as he tore into them- mercilessly and without a single ounce of remorse within himself.

He awoke choking a scream down his throat, clawed blindly at his sheets, and his body was plagued by tremors. He did not sleep for what remained of the night, just watched the pale light of dawn bathe the city beyond his window and wondered if he'd ever be free of the guilt that wrapped itself taut and choked what little breath lingered in his conscience.

….

Grocery shopping with Eren was sort of nice. It felt oddly domestic, even though they had known one another for less than a week.

Of course, Eren decided it'd be a good idea to push the shopping cart around while making race car noises.

Admittedly, it was pretty funny until Eren basically toppled over a display of cans.

Levi had not been there to bear witness to the incident, just merely was grabbing some fruit when he turned to ask Eren what sort of apples he preferred- and noticed Eren was nowhere to be seen.

“Eren?”

Crash.

“Shit!”

Levi turned around and firstly saw Eren where he stood, his expression absolutely horrified, then there was the overturned shopping cart, and the cans of peas that rolled all across the floor.

“Eren…?”

“I swear, it was an accident. Holy shit- I'm so fucked.”

They weren't allowed at that grocery store anymore.

….

Tea still tasted the same as it did before the world's end. Levi felt soothed already, tried not to think of how this was his mother's favorite and attempted to enjoy the lovely scent and taste of lavender.

Eren wasn't too big on tea, he preferred coffee, but he still took a cup when Levi offered it.

Eren and Levi sat outside, both quiet but this silence was a comfortable one. They sat at the simple white table, watched the the rain fall from soft gray clouds over the city from their balcony. The glass sliding doors that led to the little balcony were open, the day was cool and they were allowing the apartment to air out after a thorough cleaning.

“It's a beautiful day, isn't it?” Eren said.

Levi looked to him, perplexed. “It's raining.”

“Yeah, I know,” Eren replied, as if that explained everything before he turned his attention back to the rain.

….

Levi had noticed there’d be cute little drawings on his door- some were animals, some plants, others were landscapes, and characters from movies or shows.

“Hannibal Lecter?”

“Excuse you, that is Mr. Hammibal Lecter.”

“Hammibal- Oh! It’s a pig.”

And Eren laughed, looked so pleased by his own cleverness that Levi couldn’t help but join in too.

......

Levi was in the bathroom, bent over the sink as he attempted to do his makeup.

“You're spreading the foundation unevenly again.”

Levi jumped at the sound of Eren's voice, turned to look at him.“Huh?”

“Here. Let me,” Eren said and held his hand out. Levi handed him the sponge and the liquid foundation carefully as not to drop it.

“You can sit on the sink, it'll make it easier for me to do your makeup,”Eren said.

Levi hopped up, his legs dangling in the air, lips pursed.

Eren tilted Levi's face with two gentle fingers as he held his chin, his soft breath hit the side of Levi's cheek as he went about putting the foundation on him. Levi sat still, his cheeks heated at how little distance was between them.

Eren first applied the liquid foundation, then the powder and went about contouring. Levi put the contacts within his eyes, himself.

“All done,” Eren said.

“You're really good at the makeup thing. I look so normal. Better even. I look… good,” Levi commented, tilted his head to the right to see how Eren had contoured and made him look so… lovely, almost.

“Nah. You just look human. I think you look good just as you are, without makeup. Which sounds cliché, I know. But, I'm just saying, if you wanted to skip it- you'd still look great.”

Levi paused at Eren's words, looked to him, confused. “Without makeup I have weird gray-white skin, pale lips, and freaky zombie eyes,” He said. The words came out a little harsher than he anticipated. He surprised himself with the utter self-loathing tone that his voice contained.

Eren shrugged, met Levi's gaze with his own.“Doesn't matter. And your eyes aren't freaky- they're pretty. They look gray, but a soft gray. Sort of like rain clouds when it's drizzling.”

Levi felt heat rush to his cheeks, averted his eyes as embarrassment came over him in waves. “O-Oh…” He said, simply. Eren had left him speechless. What could he say to that? He wanted to protest, he really did- but the way Eren looked at him, how he had said those words… just so filled with conviction, so genuine.

“Um, I don't know about that…” Levi mumbled.

Eren shrugged. “You don't have to believe me or anything, just… I wouldn't lie, wouldn't tell you something that's not true,” He said, his lovely teal and gold mismatched eyes met Levi's gray pair.

“I'm going out here in a second. I'll see you later,” Eren added, gave Levi a brief smile and put a hand on his shoulder, gave it a small squeeze. And then, he left the bathroom.

…..

It always seemed to be raining here. There was an occasionally sunny day, but mostly the city apparently was some sort of magnet for rain.

The bus ride to the airport was a relatively uneventful one. Just rain and the hum of the engine as it passed through the city, the droplets racing one another down the window's surface and the flare of the city's lights burned bright in the gloom of this rainy evening.

Levi got off the bus once it reached the stop in front of the airport. He walked through the glass automatic doors. Since The Dark Days, the city now only had a grand total of one international airport. Needless to say, it was rather busy. Levi glanced to his phone, to the message Hange had sent him a mere five minutes ago.

He rushed to the gate, apprehension in his very core. His breath came in pants, his eyes searched-

There they were in all their glory- Hange’s glasses hung precariously on their nose as if they were about to slip off and plunge towards the floor. Their hair was in a messy ponytail, and when they caught sight of Levi- Hange screamed, a joyful sound.

And off to their left appeared two blond men. Levi’s chest hurt, and his eyes were stinging. There they were, his best friends. All safe, all sound. They all had survived and were here.

Levi went to them, fast as his feet could carry him.

“Group hug,” Hange said, simply.

And Levi was enveloped in their arms, then all four of them were holding each other.

Levi couldn’t help it, was so utterly overwhelmed with emotion at being reunited with Hange, Erwin, and Mike. He wept against Hange’s chest, couldn’t stop the tears. Mike’s hand was in his hair, Erwin was grumbling about being squished and Mike hugged him tighter in response and then Levi was laughing as they playfully bickered with one another.

Perhaps a great many things had changed, yet there some that remained all the same.

….

Levi went back to his apartment after he had spent a good chunk of the evening with Hange, Mike, and Erwin. Eventually, they parted ways, goodnights were said, jokes about Mike and Erwin were likely going to do after were made, Hange cracked another joke about, “Time to put in my trademark Ace Person Doesn’t Want To Hear The Frickle Frackle earplugs in.”

The time now was nearing 2 in the morning. Eren was lying against the couch, turquoise hair tousled, his lips parted as soft snores left him. Levi went over to switch off the TV and then grabbed the quilt off of the armrest and decided it’d best to place it over Eren so he wouldn’t get cold.

After he did so, Levi paused. Simply, he was enthralled by Eren’s features. Levi couldn’t help but stare at the way his long lashes casted shadows across the tops of his high cheekbones, the shape of his full lips, how peaceful his expression was.

There wasn’t a way to describe Eren, really. He was sort of like some piece of art come to life- all vibrant colors from his turquoise hair, mismatched eyes to his bronze skin and red painted lips. He was comprised of alternating sharp edges and soft curves. All of which if he were drawn would be done with a gentle, precise hand and an affectionate gaze.

And somehow, it made Levi feel as though he was the last man on earth, alone in a big world that he no longer had a place in.

Loneliness was a funny little thing, Levi realized. It always liked to sink it’s sharp teeth into you when you had a room full of people all around you or when you were with the one person that made your heart ache, just like how he felt around Eren-

Levi all but dashed to his room, not running from the ghosts of the past this time but from a confusing present and uncertain future.

…..

“Thanks for not letting me freeze my balls off last night,” Eren said with a boyish grin.

Levi appeared confused. “Huh?”

“You, like, tucked me in or something last night.”

“How’d you-”

“I woke up with quilt on me. It was really sweet of you. Thanks.”

“Oh. You don’t have to thank me,” Levi mumbled, gave a half shrug of his shoulders.

“I don’t, but I wanted to,” Eren said, a smile at his lips

The rest of the day was spent in one another's company, sipping tea outside on the balcony while Levi read and Eren drew. Occasionally they paused those activities in favor of watching the slow, quiet rain fall onto the earth.

Levi glanced at Eren and felt his chest ache, felt breathless.

Eren's hair was put up into a bun, his face clear of any makeup, his bronze skin tone still ever so lovely even with the gray undertone to it, his eyes luminous just like all others who were undead, and his lips pale without the usual lipstick he slapped on to make himself appear more alive, more human.

Eren, simply put, was gorgeous.

Levi had it bad.

He had it so fucking bad.

He was pining.

“Hmm, it's such a beautiful day,” Eren commented, interrupted Levi’s inner turmoil over the realization that he was pining- fucking pining so hard for him.

Levi looked up from his book and glanced to the sky- Eren was right. It was beautiful. The sky was littered with soft clouds of gray, the rain nothing more than a little drizzle as it fell around the vegetation surrounding their apartment and the two buildings on either side.

“Yes, it is,” Levi agreed, a small smile at his lips.


End file.
